


The Hair Problem

by Tiny_Black_Cat



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Maybe post 2x01 I don't recall, Set after the season one finale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-04
Updated: 2018-06-04
Packaged: 2019-05-18 00:38:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14842259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tiny_Black_Cat/pseuds/Tiny_Black_Cat
Summary: The wraith not only took Emma, it took Regina. But Regina is thrilled to be in the old land and have her powers back. She locks away Emma in a tower, and no one knows where she is....





	The Hair Problem

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written around 2014. Apparently in 2014 I shipped Emma with every woman except Regina.

{Emma}

As Emma Swan regained consciousness, she realized she was not alone. Next to her, Regina swept regally to her feet to meet the two women staring at them.

"You killed Philip!" Aurora began to yell, but with a flick of Regina's wrist both her and Mulan were blasted away. When they didn't get up, Emma realized they were unconscious.

Regina turned around and spotted Emma. "My dear Miss Swan! It looks like we're not in Storybrooke anymore. And I appear to have my powers back."

Emma groaned. Then she realized something.

"Henry!"

Regina frowned. "Yes, that is a minor problem. But not one I need your help with."

Emma didn't see what happened, but she was suddenly in a clearing surrounded by forest.

At a signal from Regina, a pile of stones started rising from the ground. As it grew upward, Emma realized it was a tower. It was tall and sturdy, with no door that she could see.

Emma gasped. Now she was inside the tower, and her hair was growing at an alarming rate. Like it had a mind of its own, it tangled itself in small hooks set in the walls. Her own hair was betraying her! Emma rushed to the window. Regina was laughing.

"What the-" and Emma swore.

"Enjoy your tower!" Regina said, and walked away.

{Belle}

"Now you get back here right now, Rumplestiltskin!" Belle yelled.

He paused and turned around.

"What is it, dearie?"

"You know what! You haven't changed a bit! You set the wraith on Regina, and it got Emma too!" Belle was starting to tear up. "What even happened to them?"

Rumplestiltskin tried to put a hand on her shoulder, but she shook it off. "Belle, they all fell into a portal to the other world. Unfortunately - I mean - Regina should be fine. And Emma."

"'Should be fine' is not enough. You are going to find a way to rescue them."

"That is impossible. Magic here-"

Belle didn't let him finish. "Then I will find a way."

And she stormed out of the shop.

*****

Belle returned that night. Scoffing at his security system, she used a brick to break his window. She put her hand through the broken window and unlocked the door from the inside. She quickly hurried to his back room.

Inside, Belle quickly opened and shut the cabinets. She was looking for a specific item. As she was about to close one of the doors, a glint caught her eye. It was a small bottle, filled with sparkling blue glitter.

Fairy dust? It looked like it, and it was even blue. Everyone knew that the Blue Fairy was the most powerful fairy, so perhaps the dust could get her to the other world. There was only one way to find out.

Belle sprinkled the dust all over herself. In theory, she knew how to do this. You wish to be with the person you want to find. She decided to find Emma, because she figured she would be more out of her element, and Regina could even have her magic back.

She closed her eyes and wished to find Emma.

The magic must've gone wrong. Belle could be in the old land, but she didn't see Emma. She saw a tower in the middle of a clearing. She paced around it; there were no doors and only one window high up and out of reach. She squinted at the window. Was that hair? It looked like a curl of blonde hair was spilling of the open window.

"Hello?" Belle shouted.

A blonde-haired woman came to the window.

"Are you Emma Swan? Savior of Storybrooke?" Belle hoped so, otherwise she had a problem.

"You could be _my_ savior if you find me some scissors. Yes, I'm Emma. But seriously, do you have any? A knife, even?"

"No, sorry." Belle said apologetically. "I'm Belle."

"Belle?" Emma seemed surprised. "Beauty and the Beast?"

"What?"

"You know, the story of Beauty and the Beast. A man goes to a castle, picks a rose, and the Beast of the castle gets mad and demands the guy has to send him his daughter. She comes to the castle and they fall in love and Beauty, AKA Belle," Emma looked pointedly at Belle, "breaks the Beast's curse."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I mean," she frowned," I see a _few_ parallels to my life. My father's realm was going to be attacked by ogres, but Rumplestiltskin protected us. For a price, or course. The price was me, and for a while I lived at his castle. We kind of," Belle paused, "fell in love. One day he let me leave, and I would've, except I met the Evil Queen on the road. I didn't even tell her much about my situation, but she guessed. She told me that true love's kiss would cure him of his darkness. I returned and kissed him, and he got really mad and sent me away. We had just made up when he set the wraith on Regina."

"Well," Emma said. "I guess I should read Henry's book."

"Who's Henry?"

"He's my son. He was the one who made me come to Storybrooke, and the one who helped me believed in the curse."

"Well, thank him for me."

Both fell silent.

"Hey," Emma said. "Got any ideas of how I can get out of here?"

"A crazy one."

"In the past twenty-four hours, I have killed a dragon, brought my son back to life, been dragged to another world, and been locked away in a tower imprisioned by my own hair. What is your idea?"

"How long is your hair?"

Belle instructed Emma to wrap her hair around a couple of hooks and climb down. It worked, with one problem. Her hair was still entangled within the tower.

Thankfully, Belle had another idea.

With Emma's permission, Belle climbed back up into the tower. She wrenched one of the glass windows out and smashed it onto the floor. With the biggest, sharpest shard she could find, she cut the hair on the hooks.

"Belle," Emma yelled, "how are you going to get down?"

"Catch!" Before she could lose her nerve, and before Emma could protest, Belle jumped out of the window and landed in Emma's arms.

Belle straightened and started to brush herself off, but stopped.

"Emma, I think I might've just found our way home."

Emma looked at Belle. Before she continued, Belle asked, "Regina?"

"She's fine. She has magic now, and I wouldn't be surprised if she is already back in Storybrooke."

"Good," Belle said. "Now, do you know the Blue Fairy?"

"No."

"Oh. Anyway, I sprinkled myself with fairy dust to get here. It might have enough magic for a second trip. Here." Belle was wearing a jacket, which she took off and gave to Emma.

"Fairy dust?" Emma asked skeptically, looking at the sparkling jacket.

"Yes. To use it, you need to close your eyes and wish to be with someone. Who in Storybrooke should we aim for?"

"Mary Margaret," Emma said. "I mean - Snow White." In a softer voice she added, "my mother."

"Now, you broke the curse, so I think you must have some pretty powerful magic," Belle said. "We'll need all the magic we can get. Here - grab my hand - close your eyes, and wish."

Belle opened her eyes. She saw a woman, Snow White, gasp and rush forward to hug Emma.

"Are you okay? Oh Emma, I was so worried about you! I only knew you as a daughter for hours before you left! How did you get back?" Snow White wouldn't let go of Emma. Her eyes were full of happy tears when she addressed Belle.

"Thank you for rescuing my daughter."

Belle smiled back at her, and turned to leave. She decided she should not interrupt this happy mother-daughter reunion.

"Beauty! See, you do answer to that!" Belle turned as Emma called her. "Mary Margaret, this is Belle. Beauty and the Beast Belle."

Belle tried to hide her smile and act annoyed. "I told you, it's not like that! Your version is so wrong! I need to read it! _Honestly_ , I've read so many books but I haven't even read my own story!" She sighed, pretending exasperation.

"Seriously though," Emma said. "I don't know how I ever could've made it back here without you. I owe you."

"Well," Belle wasn't sure what to say. "You saved us, you know, from the curse? So now we're even."

"The curse breaking part was an accident," Emma admitted.

"Anyway," Belle said, "I should go."

"If you insist," Emma said. "See you around, Beauty."


End file.
